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Setting Up New Fitness Goals
Blog | September 08, 2013
The end of summer is a great time for setting up new fitness goals. The best thing is to set up a long term and specific goal first. When I say long term, I am talking more about 3-4 months down the road and not any longer. While there will be goals that might take a lot longer time to achieve and I think that those are important as well, I think it helps a lot to have something to celebrate on a regular and frequent basis. Your achievements will keep you going and excited for the next step.
What is the difference between a goal and a wish? Wish goes something like this: “I would like to be slimmer and more toned by Christmas” or “I really want to get rid off the muffin top, before the wedding”. Goal on the other hand is specific, measurable, and realistic. Let’s put it this way, dreamers have dreams and doers have goals. Are you a doer?? I’m Zuzka and I believe in fitness. Im a doer! Hahaha I watched the movie Pain & Gain last night, and couldn’t stop laughing each time Mark Wahlberg said a similar line. It sounds really cheesy, but it’s true. Every goal needs a specific plan that you have to follow on a daily basis otherwise it’s just a wishful thinking that may never manifest. While I do believe in the power of positive thinking and the law of attraction, thanks to a few miracles that happened to me after I prayed for them, my fitness was never one of them. Oddly that’s been one of the things I had to always work for.
If you want to lose weight and have more muscle tone, you should have an idea of how much weight do you want to lose and what body fat percentage you want to have. The reason why we have to write down our long term goals and make sure that they are as specific as possible is to set our daily behavior goals. How do you know what you should do and eat on a daily basis if you have no idea how much weight you actually have to lose in a given amount of time in order to achieve the body composition that you are going for?
How do you know if your weight loss goal is realistic?
First of all, you have to make sure that your “dream weight” is healthy and proportionate to your height. If you were as tall as me 5’5” and you are a woman, you want to be between 113 and 138lbs. That is a healthy range, which is the most important thing. I weigh about 122lbs so I am somewhere in the middle. If I felt like I want to be thinner, I can still drop 10 lbs of bodyweight without becoming underweight. Not more tho. So having this knowledge is very important in order to avoid unhealthy weight loss. Here is a chart for your information that shows how much your weight can fluctuate within the healthy lines.
Your goal may not be always a weight loss. Maybe you want to learn a new skill or become more flexible. If you have no idea how long can it take you to do a split, use the internet and read posts from people who’ve been there. Learn from others. I am sure you’ll find different answers, so try to pick the middle road. If someone says it took them one month to do a split and another person says 3 months, you can give yourself 2 -3 months without feeling too much pressure. A friend of mine told me that he was able to walk on his hands in 3 months, so I decided to give myself this much time to achieve the same goal. Write down your long term goal (3-4) months today and tomorrow we will talk about your behavior goals that are important to achieve on a daily basis, in order to reach for the big one.
Have a great weekend,
Z.
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lol, I cannot believe that this chart actually goes up to 7’0″!!
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All my life I have always at least been in reasonable shape and at best I have been an athlete on my way to accomplishing big things (for me). During the past 1 1/2 years I have allowed life to get in the way and have hardly trained at all. This post about goal setting comes at a perfect time because I am re-committing myself to becoming a powerful athlete again within the next 16 weeks. Measurable intermediate and long term goals that will allow me to take pride in my progress are the key. Thanks for your tireless efforts to encourage and educate us Zuzka!
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Hi! Thanx for your motivation we all should set our goals and hit it do acheive it coz afterall we are followers of zuzka thanx I will surely make my goal win
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Yet another inspiring blog from Lady Z! Zuzka, I am so enjoying your ZCUT Power Strength Series DVD’s! I am seeing incredible results having completed the first month and now into the 1st week of month number two. It’s simply staggering to me how my body has changed with having gained so much muscle and shed body fat (one of my goals…). I’ve been doing your ZWOW’s since September of 2012 and had already gotten pretty fit/strong as a result of doing them. But, this Power Strength Series is the next level!! I hope you will consider a second Power Strength Series just like your Power Yoga Series (1 & 2). I love your dedication and commitment to all things health & fitness! YOU RAWK! With Ivory Soul & Gratitude, May Palmer, The Queen of Ivory Soul-m/s Maasdam-Quebec City, Quebec Canada
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Hi Zuzka, I would also like to really address an important point for the ladies in particular. The chart of course is a rough foundation of where a person at a particular height can sit safely. However as a figure girl in the bodybuilding world at 5,2ft. My minimum weight for the stage was sitting at 46.5 – 47kg, but mind you this is on a very strict and unrealistic diet which is only for the sport. I eat healthy and balanced on a regular basis offseason. A lot of woman must remember that one girl at 5,2ft or 5,5ft for example with a different muscle tone and body composition may comfortably sit under a certain weight without any affect to their period or hormone function. I was a lucky bodybuilder in that sense, that I never had intense shock and hormone problems when I dropped low weight and body fat which all works hand in hand, even after comp because I gradually built back up to more calories and portions etc, I never had metabolic problems. So for the ladies out there, if you drop a low weight and body fat and find that your period starts to play up or even stop for a certain period of time, then don’t allow your body to sit at that weight, as in the long term can cause infertility and super early menopause, as the pituitary gland can switch off permanently if your period stops for longer than 6 months. Im not talking purely for athletes and bodybuilders, but for women in general because this can happen to regular people as well. I hope this educates woman a little bit more regarding weight and body fat. 🙂 Good luck with all the health goals guys, and thanks so much Zuzka for your awesome inspiring self. I’ve already set my goals now for the next 3 months. 🙂 Can’t wait. xo
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I can confirm what you said Marielle. Ten years ago , my period stopped ( for a year) after I started very intense exercise and had a big weight loss. Thankfully ,when my body weight was back to normal,my period returned. Balance is key 🙂
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Wow one year is quite intense to lose your period that long. You were very lucky to be able to get it back once you found balance. Unfortunately not a lot of women are as lucky as you, some lose it in less time and cause damage in the long term, sometimes even after its returned, but of course it all comes down to the individual body types and such. Im very happy you found balance and you are sooo right that balance is definitely the key. 🙂 All the best with your health goals too Michele. 🙂
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Hi Michele, My period stopped 1 1/2 year ago, but I didn’t know it because I was on BC pill for threat cysts in the ovaries. Now I dont have the cysts. Im not exercising 🙁 and eating a lot of healthy foods to get my periods back. I’ve gained 6 pounds in the last month, and my BMI is 18.8 now. How long does it took your period to return?
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I’d really like to know what percentage of fat you, Zuzka, are… because I’m 5,5 and 113lb but I’d like to decrease my body fat NOT loose weight… working hard and still around 17% I find it’s too much…my goal was to be under 20 (took me a year) but I can’t se my abs as I see yours… ;-(
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Hi ACF, I’m guessing something like 12%. –Chris
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Zuzana said before she’s about 15% but to see abs you need to build muscle as well as have a low body fat %. Everyone shows abs at different % depending on how much muscle they have underneath. Maybe add more weight to your workout if you want to work on hypertrophy?
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Oh and forgot to say that its hard to measure bodyfat accurately. Dexa scans and the tank submersion techniques are the most accurate ways but they are expensive. Its more important to go on your measurements and how you feel or want to look than numbers on the scale or body fat %.
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Hi Zuzka,
The problem with sort of chart is it doesn’t tell us the body composition it assumes the people have so it is really just very approximate. –Chris
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True, but that doesn’t matter much. It’s enough to give someone enough of an idea to set a goal.
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Hi Zuzka,
I was wondering if amazon will ship your DVD to Australia if I buy them online? If yes, how long?
Thanks
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Hi Im from Australia, and they certainly do ship over here. It took me about 3 weeks when I ordered through Amazon. 🙂
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Thank you so much for the inspiration!! For now, my goal is finishing my vet master’s ahah. But I defenitly want to reach the 135 or 140 pounds…! It’s 10 to 15 pounds, more or less, until the new year…
I think it’s doable, as I’ve had to go through reverse dieting now and my metabolism is soooo much better (I see it because my body’s always burning hot! 😀 I was always feeling cold before… even on summer time..) I think I’ll wait 2 more weeks or so (the time I’m giving myself to finish the paperwork) and I’ll exercise – full strenght!! – and pay attention to my calories better 😉
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Zuzka, please blog as much as possible. These motivational blogs, even more than your workouts, inspire me. I am 5’6″ with a very athletic/muscular frame. Not sure if I’ll even get to 143lbs, but this blog has definitely reminded me to go back and look at my goals I set this summer. It’s also re-motivated me to get back on track with my eating. Let’s just say I’m really glad the month of August is behind me – not a fun one. Z – you’re the best!!!